I am a professional designer and engineer (sound, video, lighting) who works in theatre, music, and corporate events. I am a musician who used to tour a lot in a rock band, and I sometimes travel a lot for my engineering work as well, mixing bands and overseeing productions across North America. I am married, and my wife is in the same line of work. We frequently travel together, seeing the world one city at a time. One of our goals is to visit all 50 states in the United States, and we have six left to go!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I/we love hostels and AirBnB because of the interaction with people and learning about a place from the locals and observing what they do. Hotels can be fine if you are traveling for work, and it's the daily grind of checking in and out and finding the snack machine. But it's not the way to really learn about a city - the receptionist will only tell you the short easy answer that they tell everyone else. Because of my professional/band travels, I've stayed in fancy hotels and slept on floors, sometimes in the same week - I just roll with it and love it all. I like talking to people and sharing my experiences around the world and from home, and learning what others have to offer.

Interests

I am very into the arts, which is reflected in my interests. Cooking - a way to combine flavors in new ways and discover what makes other countries/regions unique. Decorating and landscaping - creating environments that reflect moods and foster further creativity. Art isn't just my job, it's a lifestyle. 

• performing arts
• music festivals
• movies
• music
• live music
• travel
• art

Music, Movies, and Books

Music! I am a rock musician and I love lots of bands and genres. My favorite bands (not a strict list, just ones I often go back to) are the National, Ryan Adams, Ataris, U2, Green Day, Stephen Kellogg, Janes Addiction, Emmilou Harris, Stone Roses...I could go on forever. Besides that, I have a Jazz education and love Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Django Reinhardt, and many others. 

I am a geek, which is reflected in my favorite books and movies. To this day, I am known as a Star Wars and Lord of the Rings fan. I love Spider-Man and Batman and many (but not every) movie that goes along with that. 

Outside of that, some favorite titles are Marie Antoinette (beautiful design!), Mel Brooks movies, the MASH tv series, anything written by F. Scott Fitzgerald or Oscar Wilde, and I love Alexander Dumas' musketeer series. 

I have spent a lot of time in the past few years studying world history, particularly early 20th century and WW1. One of the things I love about travel is learning about the history of other countries from the people I meet, besides in books. 

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I took a freelance job to mix audio for a show for a week and a half. It was near my house and worked with my schedule. Was supposed to be just another gig, like hundreds of others I have done - go in, do the job, leave and get paid.

I ended up meeting my best friend during that week. We got married 3 years later. :)

Teach, Learn, Share

I like to hear what other people have to tell about their own countries and neighborhoods, and offer my own experiences in comparison. I also like trading cooking and kitchen skills with people, in the interest of learning more. 

When I travel, I like to "go native" and know what the locals do - not what the tourists come to see. When I have the opportunity I like to share my own area and cities with people who haven't seen them before. 

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am a clean and orderly person - so when I stay somewhere I help clean and such. I'm good with my hands and designing ways to fix problems. I'm also  good with computers. I also like to cook for people. 

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France